Ernest Julius Wilhelm Mehnert (b. St. Petersburg 1823, d. s.p. 1878)
A large Russian patinated bronze sculpture depicting Tsar Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), standing in full figure and dressed in a general ataman uniform from the Imperial Russian Don Cossack Regiment. Signed and dated W. Mehnert 1855. Engraved in Cyrillic “casted without embossing at St. Petersburg Galvanoplastic and Foundry Works”. H. 69 cm.
Provenance: The collection of Baroness Sophie Louise de Plessen, her estate auction in Copenhagen, Winkel & Magnussen 347, 1948 no. 795. Here described in Danish as “Bronze figure, Russian Officer, signed W. Mehnert 1855”. Later it was owned by the Danish ironmonger in Randers Christian Christensen (b. Randers 1886, d. s.p. 1975). Thence by Christian Christensen's grandson until today.
Baroness Sophie Louise de Plessen, also called von Plessen (1862–1947), née von Eckermann, came from an ennobled Russian family, who moved to Sweden in 1839. In 1891, she married the Danish diplomat and Chamberlain, Sergius von Plessen (1860–1912). He was born in St. Petersburg as the son of the Danish Baron and chargé d'affaires in St. Petersburg, Otto von Plessen, and his Russian-born wife, Princess Varvara Gagarina Sergievna. That the present sculpture of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia came to Denmark seems to be due to the Russian family ties in the von Plessen family.
Condition report on request. Please contact: russia@bruun-rasmussen.dk
The submission of bids on this lot number requires the prior registration of a valid debit/credit card, presentation of photo ID and the payment of a deposit of 25,000 DKK on request. Registration of debit/credit card, photo ID and deposit is due no later than the 27th of November.
Please contact Bruun Rasmussen regarding this via email: bids@bruun-rasmussen.dk or tel.: +45 8818 1013.
The submission of bids on this lot number requires the prior registration of a valid debit/credit card, presentation of photo ID and the payment of a deposit of 50.000 DKK on request. Registration of debit/credit card, photo ID and deposit is due no later than Friday 22 November. Please contact Bruun Rasmussen regarding this via email: bids@bruun-rasmussen.dk or tel.: +45 8818 1013.
Russian art, 29 November 2019